REQUIRING THE GOVERNMENT OF ECUADOR DISCUSS WATER LAW
The protest of the controversial water law in Ecuador took a new direction. The Constitutional Court yesterday issued a ruling that orders the state to consult indigenous communities before putting into effect regulations. The National Assembly should debate this issue today, but the officer asked for the postponement. Aboriginal organizations and farmers remain in a state of mobilization, as in the past week.
Native communities, which are more than 35 percent of the Ecuadorian population, reject the project on the regulation of ground water use that will lose control of water sources in their territories and that the law favors mining bottling. But in the last few hours, since the Supreme Court of Justice of Ecuador, peasants and Indians were a good sign. The judges ordered the authorities to conduct rounds of consultation with communities before implementing the law, which must be voted on in the day today.
The president of the National Legislative Assembly, the governing Fernando Cordero, said the debate process will take "at least six months" and assured that "all communities will be informed and consulted." Consistently, the press reported yesterday from Quito to ask Congress to postpone the vote until the rounds of discussion is carried out. For the proposal needs to thrive Cordero half plus one of the congressional vote in favor.
"If the law is approved as it stands now, without the prior consultation process, the rule which would sanction unconstitutional nature," said Orlando Perez, vice minister of Peoples, Social Movements and Citizen Participation. "Therefore, at this time completely changed the scenario to the decision of the Constitutional Court," he said.
The ruling came as a surprise to the Indians, who were preparing to march to Quito from different places in connection with the vote on the text, which they said their proposals were not included. "I know the sentence. Since yesterday I am on the front resistance and unemployment. Make a decision for anything with all the organizations together, "admitted Marlon Santi, president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), one of the organizations leading the protest. To protest the initiative, indigenous groups and peasants were being mobilized from Monday 3. For three days they were cutting off access roads, especially those south of the country. Yesterday they called for civil disobedience because they felt they were being deceived by the government.
For his part, President Rafael Correa, who has the backing of other aboriginal associations, accuses CONAIE and other organizations of lying to their base to grab water management. "The Water Act is excellent, we will not allow a group to take over the country," promised the president, while officials said they would process those participating in roadblocks. Of clashes between police and protesters resulted in two officers wounded and 19 detained peasants. The dispute between the government and mobilized communities has intensified in recent days. "The interest of the Indians is to turn the government," was sentenced earlier this week Pérez.
Meanwhile, indigenous federations continue to be reported than one percent of agricultural exporters and farmers control 70 percent of the water flow, while 80 percent of farmers have access only to 12 percent. "It notes that the Assembly has a pact with the right," denounced Santi. Organizations remain in a state of mobilization to know what determines the Assembly today.http://www.pagina12.com.ar/
0 comments:
Post a Comment